Coral reef Fishery Resources in India with special reference to A & N Islands

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1 Coral reef Fishery Resources in India with special reference to A & N Islands Dr. S. Dam Roy, Director ICAR-Central Island Agricultural Research Institute

2 Introduction Coral Reefs - The most diverse marine ecosystems on Earth Coral reefs - structurally complex and ancient ecosystems. Cover 0.2% of the oceans surface but about a third of all marine species Includes quarter of all marine fish species High dependency of humans on reefs both aesthetic and food

3 Contd Coral are actually a special group of cnidarians, the same family as jellyfish!!

4 Contd.. - A coral is actually a coral colony - Rocky limestone base - Surface is covered by thousands of tiny coral animals, called polyps - Polyps are filled with microscopic algae: Zooxanthellae

5 Contd..

6 Conventional taxonomy Kingdom: Animalia Subkingdom: Metazoa Phylum: Cnidaria Class: Anthozoa Subclass: Zoantharia Order: Scleractinia Families: Acroporidae Astrocoeniidae Pocilloporidae Euphyllidae Oculinidae Siderastreidae Agariciidae Fungiidae Pectiniidae Merulinidae Dendrophyllidae Mussidae Faviidae Trachyphylliidae Poritidae Acroporidae Pocilloporidae Euphyllidae Oculinidae Siderastreidae Agariciidae Fungiidae Pectiniidae Merulinidae Mussidae Faviidae Poritidae

7 Growth form classification Branching Table / plate Sub-massive Foliose Encrusting Solitary Massive

8 Primary productivity of coral reefs Coral Reef primary production ranges from 1500 to 3700 g of C/m2/yr. This makes Coral Reefs one of the most productive communities on earth! Rapid nutrient cycling between zooxanthellae and corals may be partially responsible for this.

9 Distribution of Coral Reefs in India The Gulf of Kutch in the north west Palk Bay and the Gulf of Mannar in the south east. The Andaman and Nicobar islands have fringing reefs and a 320 km long barrier reef on the west coast. The Lakshadweep Islands are made up of atolls. Intertidal regions off Ratnagiri, Malvan and Redi, south of Bombay and at the Gaveshani Bank, 100 Km west of Mangalore, Quilon in the Kerala coast to Enayem in Tamilnadu, Parangipettai (Porto Novo), south of Cuddalore and Pondicherry

10 Cont.

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12 Coral Reef Services to Fisheries The live reef fish trade has two main components live food fish and ornamental aquarium fish. Fisheries related to coral ecosystems range from artisanal subsistence fishing, commercial fisheries, aquaculture, the live reef fish for food industry, recreational fishing, the aquarium/marine ornamental trade, and the curio and fashion industries. Southeast Asia is the hub of this trade, supplying up to 85 percent of the aquarium trade and nearly all of the live food fish trade.

13 Coral Reef - Fishery Resources An estimated 4000 (18% of all fishes) species of fish live on coral reefs and associated habitats of the Indo-Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Economic security to the communities who live alongside them In the villages around the Gulf of Mannar the traditional fishermen have been catching reef fish, diving for pearls, sacred chanks, holothuria and sea weed for centuries. In Lakshadweep the reefs are a safety net for food in the monsoon season and also provide the live bait that forms the basis for the commercial Tuna Fishing

14 Fishery Resources-Andaman A total of 1371 species have been so far recorded under 586 genera within 175 families in Andaman & Nicobar Islands (Rao, 2009). Highest among Indian reefs % of the fish recorded in this region. Pomacentridae (clown fish and damsel) are best represented followed by Labridae (wrasses), Serranidae. About 400 sps have commercial value as food fishes falling under the family Serranidae, Lutjanidae, Lethrinidae, Carangiidae etc. Serranids are known to contribute most among the food fishes from the coral reefs.

15 Biodiversity of ANI Faunal Group World India A&N Sponges Mangroves Marine mollusc Crustaceans Hard Corals Flat worms Polychaetes Siphonculates Echinoderms Fishes Amphibians Reptiles Birds Mammals

16 Fish Families Common Food fishes No. of Species Clupeidae 26 Hemirhamphidae 14 Serranidae 58 Lutjanidae 43 Lethrinidae 22 Nemipteridae 22 Leiognathidae 18 Carangidae 46 Scombridae 18 Xiphiidae 01 Istiophoridae 04 Sphyraenidae 09 (Flat fishes) 31

17 Serranidae Commonly known as groupers, Most important and exploited fishery Species contributing to fisheries are: Plectropomus areolatus Epinephelus bleekeri Epinephelus fasciatus Epinephelus itajara Epinephelus longispinis Epinephelus merra Epinephelus ongus Epinephelus quoyanus Epinephelus coeruleopunctatus Epinephelus spilotoceps Epinephelus faveatus Plectropomus areolatus Cephalopholis boenak Cephalopholis cyanostigma Cephalopholis leopardus Cephalopholis argus Cephalopholis miniata etc.

18 Lutjanidae Commonly known as Snappers Mainly landed by hook and line gear. Lutjanus bohar Important species contributing to fisheries are: Lutjanus lemniscatus, Lutjanus decussatus, Lutjanus kasmira, Lutjanus bohar, Lutjanus fulviflamma, Lutjanus russellii, Macolour niger etc.

19 Lethrinidae Commonly known as emperors/pig face breams Mainly landed by hook and line gear. Lethrinus ornatus Important species contributing to fisheries are: Lethrinus ornatus Lethrinus ornatus, Lethrinus xanthochilus Lethrinus obsoletus, Lethrinus variegates, Lethrinus borbonicus, Monotaxis grandoculis

20 Other important food fishes Other important food fishes belong to family Carangidae, Mullidae, Nemipteridae, Siganidae, Clupidaea, Scombridae, Muraenidae, few Elasmobranchs and Crustaceans are also found in the reef areas of ANI. Local fishing community is largely dependent on these resources. Any damage to the coral reefs naturally or due to anthropogenic activities will adversely affect the fisheries and in turn affect the fishing community.

21 Ornamental Fishes Fish Families No. of Species Apogonidae 46 Chaetodontidae 41 Cirrhitidae 05 Pomacentridae 77 Pomacanthidae 20 Labridae 64 Scaridae 25 Blenniidae 57 Balistidae 19 Ostracidae 05 Gobiidae 111

22 Pomacentridae Marine ornamentals most represented by this family belogns to order Perciformes Damsel fishes and Clown fishes Pomacentrus moluccensis (Lemon damsel) Recently bred in MRL of CIARI

23 Threats to Coral reefs Natural Crown-of-thorns starfish Mollusk Polychaete worms Bleaching Diseases Tsunami Earthquakes Sedimentation Anthropogenic Diseases (Sewage) Unregulated tourism Over fishing Souvenir collection Illegal trade Coastal Industries Shipping

24 Predicted demise of corals in Indian Seas Region Decade at which corals begin to decline Decade at which corals would be remnant Andaman Nicobar Lakshadweep Gulf of Mannar Gulf of Kachchh

25 Contd Diseases, plagues and invasive species Over fishing & destructive fishing practices Sedimentation Eutrophication and chemical pollution Coastal development Poorly managed tourism = Coral stress

26 Threats to coral reefs

27 Anthropogenic Threats to coral reefs Overfishing Destructive fishing Tourism Anchors/ships

28 Coral bleaching

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30 Conservation and Management Marine protected areas and Sanctuaries Coral farming/gardening Coral breeding Artificial reefs/substrate implants Guided ecotourism Input controls(gears, crafts etc..)

31 Discussions